City Forms Commission to Lobby for Light Rail

A new Transportation Commission that will help lobby Los Angeles County for a light-rail line and tackle other transit issues was set up by the Burbank City Council Tuesday night.

The new commission will replace the city’s five-member Transportation Board, and its seven unpaid members will tackle municipal transportation issues from light rail to bicycle paths.

The commission will also have more power than the old board, which advised the council on issues such as spending of public transportation funds.

City officials have said a commission with broader responsibilities is needed so Burbank can compete with other areas for transportation projects, like a light-rail line from the airport to downtown Los Angeles.

In other action, the council also set up an ad-hoc citizens advisory committee to wrestle with the traffic problems of one of Burbank’s largest neighborhoods.

The 12-member Magnolia Park Citizens Advisory Committee will study traffic patterns and ways of protecting the neighborhood, which includes Hollywood Way, a route linking the Ventura Freeway and Burbank Airport.

The committee was set up in response to neighborhood concerns about the possible widening of Hollywood Way.

The committee was selected from a field of 25 candidates including both residents and business representatives from the neighborhood. Two weeks ago, the City Council voted not to include representatives of the Media District, near the Ventura Freeway, and the Golden State area, which includes Burbank Airport, because of a lack of nominations.

However, on Tuesday night, the council voted 3-2 to create two more seats for ex-officio, non-voting, members to represent the Burbank Airport Authority and the Media District.

Vice-Mayor Bill Wiggins voted no on the ex-officio members, because they would not be required to live in Burbank. Councilwoman Susan Spanos also opposed it.

Applications for the ex-officio committee members must be filed with the city clerk’s office within two weeks. The council will make a selection in three weeks.